After a five-year absence from the movie business, comic Chris Tucker makes his return to the big screen this weekend in a quasi-dramatic role in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. But he's not leaving comedy behind. At the New York premiere party for the film on Monday night, Tucker told me that he's producing a film of his stand-up act. more »

Earlier today, various trades reported that Chris Tucker is circling two big Hollywood roles -- one in David O. Russell's The Silver Linings Playbook and the other in Neighborhood Watch opposite Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill. Nearly all reports also noted that Tucker has been curiously absent from the box office since 2007's Rush Hour 3, which is strange considering that the actor was in the middle of a career upswing that started with Friday, continued with his Jackie Chan franchise and could have ended with the actor becoming one of the most marketable movie stars this decade. But after some careful math, Movieline HQ can tell you exactly why Tucker was free to retreat from the box office...